TEHRAN (IRNA) -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's written message was delivered to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa Ale-Thani by Iran' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahdi Mostafavi on Friday.

During the meeting, Mostafavi stressed Iran's will for expanding the dimensions of comprehensive ties with all countries in the region, particularly with Qatar.

He expressed hope that relying on more dynamic functioning of the Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Commission the ground would be paved for greater joint investments in various fields, particularly in the field of gas and oil industries.

For his part, the Emir of Qatar, while accepting President Ahmadinejad's invitation for paying an official visit to Iran, expressed hope that the visit would be made within the next few months.

He said that Iran has a rich culture and an ancient civilization. He considered the region's status quite sensitive, and stressed the need for avoiding any type of religious or tribal tension under the current tense conditions. The Emir of Qatar referred to the sad occurrence of terrorist events in Samarra and the insult made against the holy shrines of Imam Hadi and Imam Asgari (PBUT) in Iraq, reiterating, "Such moves are aimed at creating a gap between the Shi'a and Sunni brethren, while the majority of Sunnis are opposed to such moves."

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa ale-Thani stressed the need for launching broader efforts aimed at declaring the Middle East a nuclear-weapons-free zone and noted that Qatar enjoys old ties with the winner party in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, Hamas.